Music Video Analysis - 'It Will Rain' by Bruno Mars

The music video commences with an off-kilter mid-shot of a melancholy Bruno Mars standing in front of a window which is being hit hard by the falling rain outside. Immediately, the viewer recognises that the video is illustrating a link between the lyrics and the visuals (hence the song title, 'It Will Rain'.) This strong establishing shot may seem quite simplistic on the surface, however, it is embellished with semiotics and significant meaning (polysemic). For example, the sheer fact that the shot is off-kilter almost welcomes the viewer into the artist's distorted and troubled world. Furthermore, rain possesses the connotations of hardship and despair which reflects Mars' inner emotions (also signified by his heavy head and the lingering duration of the shot); what the star is feels emotionally is portrayed to the audience through the use of visuals. Another example is the star's face is positioned to capture the 'soft' key light which gently illuminates his form, although the daylight that shines through the window seems more prominent, putting Bruno in the shadows, again symbolic of his dark, sombre mood. 

The fragmented nature of this video, ever-alternating from the present narrative to flashbacks from the past and interspersed with performance and cutaways, is reflective of the withered relationship between the couple and the artist's broken emotional state; '...what we used to have, we don't have it anymore.'  After the establishing mid-shot, the video depicts fast jump cuts of the couple's 'happy memories' which occur within the cosy mise-en-scene of their house. The jump cuts are mostly close-ups/extreme close-ups of the couple's reactions (smiling, laughing, kissing etc), which generally go in and out of focus creating a discentred experience, perhaps representing they are distant memories that are too painful for Mars to rekindle and they are but a mere haze on replay in his mind. Moreover, cutaways such as close-ups of the dripping vintage tap and Bruno's tapping feet are edited to mimic the slow, heavy rhythm/metre of the song - linking the music to the visuals. 

A long-shot is then displayed of Bruno sitting in a derelict/run-down hall resting his feet on a bucket whilst he is surrounded by a host of other buckets; an iconic image. The artist is positioned in the centre of the frame, identifying him as the 'star' of the music video and the dramatic change of mise-en-scene (bright and cosy to dark and isolated) illustrates Bruno's desolation; hence the choice of a long-shot which makes the audience seem more distant from the star and in turn, we feel sympathetic towards him. What's more, there is a clear, recurring 'motif' of rainfall throughout the video (establishing shot, dripping tap, buckets etc) which only seems apparent during the present narrative ('sad' times); '...there'll be no clear skies, if I lose you baby, everyday it will rain.' 

This music video subtly challenges similar texts where the camera is conventionally placed at a high-angle to symbolise the lonely solitude of the protagonist. 'It Will Rain' conveys a sense of isolation/low character status through low-angle mid-shots. By subverting this convention, it constantly reminds the audience that Bruno Mars is indeed the star of the music video regardless of his melancholic role in the narrative. Alternatively, this angle could have a more powerful impact considering the audience can physically see more of the artist's remorseful facial expressions whilst also emphasising the commodity on sale.